2023 Sephora Birthday Gift Review

Hi everyone,

It’s that time again, today I have for you a review of the 2023 Sephora Birthday Gift and not only that, but all of the options that you can choose from this year when your birthday comes around.

So, starting with what I got, I had a more difficult time picking this year, because I liked pretty much everything, but what I selected is the Ouai “The Ouai of Life” Set.

Packaging wise, it has the classic Sephora black polka dots, and on the front is has a gold ribbon, to give it the birthday feel.

On the top of the box it says ‘Happy Birthday’ in light pink. Under that it says ‘Joyeux Anniversaire’ which is Happy Birthday in French and below that it says, ‘Turn It All The Ouai Up!’

So, getting into it. This is a four piece set, which is the most out of all the sets and this set, unless I say otherwise, is available for all Sephora Beauty Insiders. It comes with a detox shampoo, a leave in conditioner, a body cleanser and a perfume.

First up, we have the Leave In Conditioner. This calls itself a multitasking product that will work all day to detangle, soften and smooth your hair. All while protecting against heat/other damage and reducing frizz and flyaways.

Next up we have the Detox Shampoo. This shampoo is made with apple cider vinegar and thus concentrated. It’s supposed to deeply cleanse away oil, dirt and any product buildup. It also has keratin, so while it’s detoxing, it’s helping to strengthen your hair.

The second to last product we have is the St. Bart’s Body Cleanser. This cleanser is exclusive to Sephora. It’s infused with the St. Bart’s scent, so it has notes of dragon fruit, orange blossom, tuberose and Baltic amber. It’s not the typical scent I would go for in a cleanser, but it smells pretty good and definitely has vacation vibes, which is great right now in the middle of winter.

And the last product we have is the Melrose Place Eau de parfum. This describes itself as a velvety rich rose fragrance with notes of bergamot, lychee, cedar wood and white musk. I really struggle with rose sometimes, it either has the perfect balance or it’s just so overpowering, so I was nervous to spray this. However, all of the other scents balance it so well, that it’s not overly rose, in fact it reminds me of another perfume, but it’s definitely a scent I would and will wear.

So, there are four other options you can have that are open to all Sephora Beauty Insiders. The first is the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Skincare Set. With this set you get the Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops. This is a multiuse highlighting serum that visibly reduces the look of hyperpigmentation and hydrates the skin for a reflective, dewy glow. You also get the Watermelon Glow Pore Tight Toner. This is a gentle PHA and BHA infused watermelon toner that minimizes the appearance of pores and hydrates the skin.

Next we have the ILIA Makeup Set. For those that don’t know, ILIA are a clean brand, and I know a lot of people look for that in a makeup brand. This set includes the Limitless Lash Mascara in After Midnight. This mascara is supposed to lift, lengthen, curl and separate lashes without smudging or flaking. You also get the Multi-Stick in At Last which is a mauve rose color. The multi-stick is for cheeks and lips and gives you a buildable wash of color.

Next, you can select 250 Bonus Points. This is a great option for those who like to spend their points on the regular or are saving them up for a specific product because it adds an additional 250 points to your Beauty Insider account.

And the last of the available to all, is the Dior Fragrance Set. This one is a bit tricky though. It pretty much sold out the day it was released, so it is now an In Store Only option. But, from my understanding not all stores had it, that may have changed, but the best thing to do, if you really want it, is to call your Sephora store or the ones in your area if there are multiple, and ask them if they have it. But, this set comes with two fragrances, the Miss Dior eau de parfum, which they say describe as a colorful floral bouquet. It celebrates the sensuality of the centifolia rose, is heightened by fresh lily of the valley along with spicy peony and is enveloped by powdery iris. The second fragrance is Sauvage eau de parfum, which is described as a captivating blend of Calabrian bergamot, nutmeg and vanilla absolute.

The last Birthday Gift option we have is for VIB and Rouge members only, and it’s the Farmacy Clean Skincare Set. This set includes the Green Clean Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm, a face cleanser that gets rid of even the most stubborn makeup, SPF, oil and dirt while leaving your skin hydrated with no residue. The Honey Halo Ultra-Hydrating Ceramide Moisturizer, an intense moisturizer that replenishes distressed, dry skin with lasting hydration while visibly plumping and improving the look of fine lines. And the last thing you get is the Honey Potion Plus Ceramide Hydration Mask. A warming honey mask that intensely hydrates, nourishes and strengthens the skin’s moisture barrier. This is the upgraded formula, so it contains ceramides, upcycled apples and cica.

That about wraps it up for this post, there are a lot of great options this year, and I’m really happy with what I chose.

Until next time, have fun choosing, and I’d love to know what you go for :).

-K

Twitter: @KNSage

Instagram: Kyra Sage

Podcast: https://www.twitch.tv/theunlikelymotorsportsduo

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June 2022 BoxyCharm Unboxing

Hi everyone,

I received my June BoxyCharm box yesterday and I thought that today would be the perfect time to go through it. The theme this month, as it’s Pride Month, is express yourself.

The first item we have is the DryBar Liquid Glass Miracle Smoothing Sealant. This is a heat activated spray that wraps an invisible shield around your hair to provide frizz resistance and leave you with silky, super glossy hair. It’s lightweight, lasts through 3 washes and protects from heat up to 450 degrees F/232 degrees C. I love things like this, my hair does get a little frizzy sometimes when I apply heat to it, so I’m excited to try this out. 

Next up we have the Chella Dual Liquid Eyeliner Pearl. This is a double ended liquid eyeliner with an icy blue liner and a black liner. These say they are longwearing, smudge proof and glide on effortlessly. The brush is tapered, it does give you a lot of control on the size and style of line that you want, which is always really nice. What makes these pearl liners is the fact that thy are formulated with pearl pigments, which you’ll see in the swatch, does give them a nice bit of shimmer. Based on the swatch alone, these look a little bit runny and the blue wasn’t as pigmented as I was thinking it was going to be, but that might change once it’s on the eye. I also think that this liner is a bit overpriced, I get that it’s a dual liner, but I think that $35.00 is a bit much. 

Moving on, we have my Choice item for the month, the Violet Voss SunKissed Summer Eyeshadow and Pressed Pigment Palette. This palette has universally flattering shades to help you create the most iconic summer looks, year round with it’s blend of matte and metallic shadows. I do really like the outer packaging, it had great summer vibes.

This is a 10 pan palette and though it’s a summer and sun focused palette, I think there’s a lot of room to create different looks. 

You do get a nice little mirror with this palette, which I always like, because you don’t always get that with palettes this size. 

Just from looking at it, I could tell these shades were going to be gorgeous. Violet Voss always does a fantastic job of formulating their shadows. The mattes are always very smooth and the metallics are incredibly pigmented. 

I swatched these in the rows they appear. The first shadow we have is Sandbar, which is a matte sandy shade. Next to that is Sunkissed, a metallic light gold that leans more towards the yellow gold area. Then there’s Sunsation, a light matte shade that I would say is like a mix of gold and a light caramel. Next to that is Gold Coast, another metallic gold, but this one is a deep gold. And the last shadow in the row is Heatwave, a really pretty metallic bronzey shade. 

The second row starts with Glow On, a really pretty metallic that I would say is a light peachy/gold. Next to that is Cool Down, a matte shadow that I think is kinda unique. It’s a mix of what I would say is rose and maybe mauve, it’s quite nice. Then there’s Sunnies Out, a metallic rose gold, which is always a great shade to have in any palette, especially one for summer. Next to that is Berry Hot, which is a shadow I like a lot. I would say it’s a deep cranberry in shade, but it’s a glitter, and when I swatched it the glitter didn’t fall everywhere, always a huge plus, but it was so pretty when it hit the light. I’m excited to wear this one. And the last shadow in the row is Tan Lines, a matte medium brown, which might seem a little boring in a palette like this, but most of the time when I do a gold look, I balance it with a matte brown shadow of some sort, so I was really happy to see it included. 

The second to last item we have is the Yensa Tone Up Primer Essential Glow. This isn’t just your average primer. This is infused with 8 super powered skin loving ingredients to help with minimizing the appearance of pores, fine lines and wrinkles. It has a lightweight satin-sheen formula to create an invisible skin perfecting finish. The 8 ingredients it uses to help with this are black sesame oil, black seaweed, black tea, shiitake mushroom, black rice, Korean black raspberry, nettle and chia seed. What it doesn’t have is parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, phthalates and it’s animal cruelty free. I have this on right now, and so far I’m liking it. I’ll keep using it and let you guys know what I think after putting it to the test. 

And the last item we have is the Volition Beauty Turmeric Brightening Polish. This is an indulgent polishing scrub, powered by turmeric to visibly brighten and smooth, tone and hydrate and promote overall skin radiance to give you a natural looking glow. I do like a good scrub, and a nice, natural glow is always wanted, especially heading into summer, so I’m interested to try this out. 

That about wraps it up for this post, I do generally like a more makeup heavy box, but there are some good things in here. If you got any of the same items in your June BoxyCharm box let me know and if not, I’d love to know what you did get. 

Until next time, enjoy your products and I can’t wait to see what I get next month :). 

-K 

BoxyCharm Referral Code:

Kyra-SVHKSETS 

BoxyCharm Referral Link: https://www.boxycharm.com/refer/Kyra-SVHKSETS 

My Links: 

Twitter: @KNSage 

Instagram: Kyra Sage 

Poshmark: KyraSage18 

Podcast: https://www.twitch.tv/theunlikelymotorsportsduo 

Pinterest: Kyra Sage 

March 2022 BoxyCharm Unboxing

Hi everyone,

Yesterday I received my March BoxyCharm box and I thought today would be the perfect day to go through it. The theme for this month is Game Changer and it’s celebrating game changers and boss babes in honor of women’s history month and I think it’s a great theme. There’s a ton of incredible women in the beauty industry and it’s great that BoxyCharm chose to shine a light on them.

The first product we have is the StyleDry Coconut & Fig Hair Mask. This has coconut oil and murumuru butter to deeply nourish and give you hydrated, healthy, glossy hair. Like a lot of hair masks, you gently work through your hair from root to tip and leave for 10 minutes then rinse. I love a good hair mask and this one smells really good, so I’m excited to try it out. 

Next up we have the Aceology Detoxifying Treatment Mask. This is a charcoal mask that draws out impurities and blackheads and clears clogged pores. Because charcoal has antibacterial and purification powers it’s not only one of the best detoxifying ingredients but it will protect your skin and leave a poreless and flawless texture. This is a peel off mask, so you apply, leave for 30 minutes then peel off. I really like the sound of this, so I’m interested to try it out. 

Moving on we have the Earth Harbor Naturals Nymph Nectar Superfruit Radiance Balm. This has sea fruits and tropical super berries along with Vitamins C, A, E and K, amino acids, omegas and other bio-actives to help achieve the best, bounciest and dewiest skin. This balm really ticks all the boxes, it’s plant based, holistic, vegan, cruelty free, sustainable, fair source, no gluten added, no soy added, small batch made, and to fit in with this month’s theme, woman owned. It has incredible reviews, so if you have dull/dehydrated skin, premature skin aging, environmental damage or loss of firmness this sounds like it will help immensely. You can use this as a moisturizer, a sleeping mask or a rescue repair treatment. It also says on the website it’s great for moisturizing lips and cuticles. This has so many good things going for it and honestly sounds incredible, so I’ll definitely be giving it a try. 

The second to last product we have is the Ofra Charm Your Cheeks Mini Mix Blush Palette. This is my Choice item for the month. This is a six pan blush palette made with Ofra’s liquid-to-baked technology and all of the shades are long wearing and incredibly pigmented. Like a lot of their palettes, this one is magnetic and refillable so if you hit pan you can easily pop in a new shade. I really like Ofra blushes, I think the formulation is great, so I was happy to see that this was a Choice option. This gives me very 80’s vibes with the pattern and I think it’s super fun. 

This doesn’t come with a mirror, but I don’t mind. I do like though that they carried the pattern onto the inside of the palette but changed the color from white to gray. 

Like I said, six pan palette in a variety of shades that would probably lend quite well to mixing if you wanted for even more versatility. 

I swatched these exactly how they appear. The first blush we have is Pink Satin, then there’s Mai Tai and the last shade of the row is Candy Apple. Starting off the bottom is Coral Crush, then there’s Fire Orange and the last blush we have is Rendezvous. 

And the last product we have is the Appeal Cosmetics Ultra Creme Liquid Lipstick in Muse (anyone else just think of “I was Josh Safdie’s muse when he wrote Uncut Gems” when they hear the word Muse now?). This is a luxurious creme lipstick in a satin finish with a rich color that lasts all day. I can’t tell exactly what shade this is, it looks to be a medium pink. I have quite a few liquid lipsticks in very similar colors already, so I didn’t swatch this and I’m going to give it to someone, but it is a pretty shade and I quite like Appeal Cosmetics. Everything of theirs that I’ve tried, I’ve liked. 

That about wraps it up for this post, if you got any of the same products in your March box let me know and if not, I’d love to know what you did get. 

Until next time, enjoy your products and I can’t wait to see what I get next month :). 

-K 

BoxyCharm Referral Code:

Kyra-SVHKSETS

BoxyCharm Referral Link: https://www.boxycharm.com/refer/Kyra-SVHKSETS 

My Links: 

Twitter: @KNSage 

Instagram: Kyra Sage

Poshmark: KyraSage18 

Pinterest: Kyra Sage